Page 14 of The Mafia Assassin's Redemption-

“No. If she had, Torin, she’d already be dead. You know that. She was found shaking, after running from the scene, hunkered down with the priest at the church she works at.” Cal pauses. “It’s a mafia-known church, so the priest has no reason to lie, but the consensus of Bernardo’s family is that the girl hired someone.”

I frown. “Sounds like conjecture. They don’t have proof.”

“They don’t need it,” Cal says.

Fuck. “This sounds like an easy scapegoat kill.”

“Of course it is,” Seamus says. “Christ, Tor, I thought you were smarter than that. Jesus, I always knew computers killed brain cells.”

“At least I have plenty to kill, Seamus.” I take a breath.

“Well, what are we supposed to do?” Dec asks.

I clench my fingers into tight fists. “Is her uncle worried? Does she need protection?”

What am I saying? Of course she needs protection.

I can be outside her apartment in minutes. I can get her the fuck out of town, get her a new name, identity, I can save her like I’ve been doing. And then once she’s safe, I can let go. I can finally move forward.

And those silver eyes won’t haunt my dreams anymore.

“The uncle’s concerned, and Mam told him to call us to see if we know anything.” Cal looks me right in theeye. “After all, the girl’s family was murdered on the night Siobhan died.”

I open my mouth, but he shakes his head once.

“So, not to sound stupid here—” Seamus swings a thumb in Declan’s direction. “But what are we supposed to do?”

I’d like to know that, too. We know thugs, modern mafia, but… old school? Not so much. I’ve seenThe Godfather.We’re not set up like that.

“If Mam wants us to step in and help, we will.” Cal sighs and stands up. “We have business by mutual affiliations with the Ricco family. Nothing much, but we’re a clean slate to each other. They respect that.”

“That’s all fucking sunshine and roses,” I say, “but what if they try and kill her?”

“They won’t until they decide on a course of action. They know it’s a hit, and I believe they know the real culprit, or at least suspect them, but we all know sometimes things are complicated. A girl with no ties is an easy mark. I figure it’ll be a hit, and they’ll announce it soon.”

Fuck, fuck,fuck. Another mistake. Another mess I’ve created. The breath sticks in my lungs. I’ll wipe out all the Ricco family. Simple. But I try to control the fever boiling my blood, the anger that tightens my chest. “There must be something…”

Cal nods. “There’s a loophole. A blood marriage.”

I narrow my eyes. “What the fuck is a blood marriage?”

“Old-school ritual in mafia-owned Catholic churches.” He wipes a hand over his face. “I’ve been looking into it. If she enters into a blood marriage, no one can touch her without touching us. She’s her husband’s property and the family’s. They won’t mess with us or our allies.”

“You can’t hold them to that. People aren’t noble,” I say.

Cal shrugs. “The old-school Italians love their honor codes,and a blood wedding is sacred. She’d be property until the marriage ends. And from what I’ve heard from various contacts, I don’t think Salvatore Ricco liked his brother very much. They’d share women, but it was just to keep Bernardo happy. He sounds like he was a real prick and a lot of people wanted him dead.”

I’m still wrapping my head around the solution. “Explain the blood marriage again.”

“It’s old, rare, but still used. The marriage happens when a slate needs to be cleaned or someone wants to make a real offer of loyalty. The girl’s given as absolute property. And it doesn’t obey actual laws, just mafia law held sacred by the church. It’s even consummated in the Blood Room in the church.”

My heart flips.

I’m beginning to like this. If I have Harry, I can keep her safe. I can atone. She can lead her life and me mine.

Cal starts to look to Seamus, but I step up.

“I’ll do it,” I say. “I’ll marry her.”